[hazn]

Recently I've been feeling more tired than usual. I'm not sure if it's related to the season (maybe I have SAD?), or if it's due to being a little depressed. I'm a full-time postgraduate student so I've got a LOT of work I need to be getting on with. I end up napping at around 4-5pm... but I'm still tired :O It's making concentrating really difficult, I end up almost falling asleep. Anyone have any advice?

- I'm getting enough sleep. In fact, maybe a bit too much (due to SAD/depression? I don't know).
- I drink 2 cups of coffee a day. It doesn't seem to help much.
- I started taking 5-HTP because I had anxiety and wanted to see if it would help. I don't have anxiety anymore, but I'm sure that doesn't have anything to do with the 5-HTP. I'm still taking it anyway.
- I do try taking a short break every few hours.

[Skeezyks]

Hello hazn: I guess I don't really have any great suggestions for you. I just wanted to leave a note letting you know I read your post & I hope you can find a solution to your problem. I do think it probably has something to do with the time of year. I don't know what type of weather you have where you live. But where I live the weather is cold & dismal. It's dark by 4:30 in the afternoon. As a result I tend to feel pretty blah as well. But, then, at this point in my life, blah is pretty-much a normal state. So it's only more-so now by a matter of degrees.

Advice...um. Eat three meals per day with some protein with each one. I like this list of foods, too. They're recommended for mood, but they are good for general brain health.

You're already getting enough sleep. That's good. If you have a device that runs apps (smartphone, tablet) try an app like SleepBot to monitor your sleep for 3 nights or so, just to see if anything unusual turns up. Do you normally feel rested and good when you wake up in the mornings?

When you take a break, are you able to take a short walk? If not, doing something indoors like stretching or some breathing exercises can help you to feel more alert. Singing is good, too. Basically anything to get you to take really deep breaths and get some fresh air into your lungs.

I don't think I've heard of 5-HTP making anyone tired. That doesn't seem like a problem.

I don't know if you do any kind of regular exercise or yoga. I can't claim to be doing any myself lately, but I know when I worked at a desk for long hours, the exercise seemed to help me to keep my energy level up. It also helped to keep my anxiety level down.

I hope you figure it out. Some medical condition like anemia or hypothyroidism could be going on. I'd suggest going to the doctor to ask them, but I see you're in the UK, so I don't know if they'd do a blood test on the first visit. If you're female, an iron supplement can be good (a low-dose, slow-release one is best.)

[hazn]

Skeezyks - Aw, thank you! I live in the UK so, yup... it gets dark pretty early which sucks I've always suspected it impacts my mood, sleeping pattern, etc, which is what made me read up on Seasonal Affective Disorder. Oh well. I'm taking 5-HTP and Vitamin D which might help in that regard, but I don't know really.

jo_thorne - You know what Jo... that's probably it. My eating has been a bit off lately, and I've also stopped exercising completely. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting enough protein. I'll make a few changes to my eating and see if I notice a difference. I've made an intention to start working out again.

I do feel rested when I wake up, but I just don't want to get out of bed these days. I sometimes lay there for hours. I think this will probably go away in a month or two, so I'm not as worried about it.

Thank you so much for your input guys, I REALLY appreciate it. Thanks!

[ablankscript]

Have you ever had a sleep study done to rule out sleep disturbances?
Stop Eating 3 hrs before bed as having food in your stomach causes blood to go to the gut and can mess up your sleep cycles as well as I have heard that it affects mitochondria (energy production centers of the cells).
When you have caffeine your body releases hormones including adrenalin and cortisol, you could be suffering from adrenal fatigue.
Have thyroid checked. Get sunlight or vitamin d and B vitamins. Get exercise, sure it is hard when you have no energy and tired but it helps the body a lot.

[hazn]

Originally Posted by ablankscript

Have you ever had a sleep study done to rule out sleep disturbances?
Stop Eating 3 hrs before bed as having food in your stomach causes blood to go to the gut and can mess up your sleep cycles as well as I have heard that it affects mitochondria (energy production centers of the cells).
When you have caffeine your body releases hormones including adrenalin and cortisol, you could be suffering from adrenal fatigue.
Have thyroid checked. Get sunlight or vitamin d and B vitamins. Get exercise, sure it is hard when you have no energy and tired but it helps the body a lot.

Thank you for your response! I've seen improvements since my last post. I've upped my protein and water intake, and also adjusted my study habits slightly. I think it's more or less under control now. I'm still trying to motivate myself to start exercising again, though

[GoalGetter]

It may sound overly simple, but many people are dehydrated and that can have an effect on energy. I was surprised how much it helped when I really focused on drinking two large glasses of water right when I wake up and that consciously drink water all day long.

Originally Posted by Anonymous200325

Advice...um. Eat three meals per day with some protein with each one. I like this list of foods, too. They're recommended for mood, but they are good for general brain health.

You're already getting enough sleep. That's good. If you have a device that runs apps (smartphone, tablet) try an app like SleepBot to monitor your sleep for 3 nights or so, just to see if anything unusual turns up. Do you normally feel rested and good when you wake up in the mornings?

When you take a break, are you able to take a short walk? If not, doing something indoors like stretching or some breathing exercises can help you to feel more alert. Singing is good, too. Basically anything to get you to take really deep breaths and get some fresh air into your lungs.

I don't think I've heard of 5-HTP making anyone tired. That doesn't seem like a problem.

I don't know if you do any kind of regular exercise or yoga. I can't claim to be doing any myself lately, but I know when I worked at a desk for long hours, the exercise seemed to help me to keep my energy level up. It also helped to keep my anxiety level down.

I hope you figure it out. Some medical condition like anemia or hypothyroidism could be going on. I'd suggest going to the doctor to ask them, but I see you're in the UK, so I don't know if they'd do a blood test on the first visit. If you're female, an iron supplement can be good (a low-dose, slow-release one is best.)

Hi!
I a,m 41yrs old and not working. I suffer from depression and am seeing a doc and taking meds. I too feel that I lack energy and feel sleepy all the time, even though I take an aft nap every day. I feel so bad about this...it seems to me that I have a handicap. That I am at a disadvantage than the rest of the population.

[hazn]

I think that it's pretty common to experience that when you're depressed. If you can address the depression, perhaps your energy will return! I think it's also important to try to keep busy, and in the beginning that may require forcing yourself to do things you might not feel like doing (like exercising, looking for a job, etc)... but it all helps in the long run!

[luvyrself]

Originally Posted by hazn

Recently I've been feeling more tired than usual. I'm not sure if it's related to the season (maybe I have SAD?), or if it's due to being a little depressed. I'm a full-time postgraduate student so I've got a LOT of work I need to be getting on with. I end up napping at around 4-5pm... but I'm still tired :O It's making concentrating really difficult, I end up almost falling asleep. Anyone have any advice?

- I'm getting enough sleep. In fact, maybe a bit too much (due to SAD/depression? I don't know).
- I drink 2 cups of coffee a day. It doesn't seem to help much.
- I started taking 5-HTP because I had anxiety and wanted to see if it would help. I don't have anxiety anymore, but I'm sure that doesn't have anything to do with the 5-HTP. I'm still taking it anyway.
- I do try taking a short break every few hours.

-------they have special lights for sad- try online
Do something u look forward to every day-calling friends, go out. ME TIME!

[hazn]

Originally Posted by luvyrself

-------they have special lights for sad- try online
Do something u look forward to every day-calling friends, go out. ME TIME!

Oh yeah, I ended up purchasing a SAD light a few months back. I'm not entirely sure it helped, and then the weather brightened up so I stopped using it.

I think it's just me adjusting from a bad relationship, it wasn't very healthy. Wouldn't be inaccurate to say it was a traumatic experience. I feel like things are getting better slowly though.

Thank you for your advice!

[profound_betrayal]

Originally Posted by hazn

I think that it's pretty common to experience that when you're depressed. If you can address the depression, perhaps your energy will return! I think it's also important to try to keep busy, and in the beginning that may require forcing yourself to do things you might not feel like doing (like exercising, looking for a job, etc)... but it all helps in the long run!

Agree w/hanz above.

Fatigue is 'multi layered' re causes. water, diet and also 'mind'.
The quotation below, meant so much to me when I didn't understand why I had NO energy - I slept, but woke up without energy.

Sleep doesn’t help if it’s your soul that’s tired (from truth inside of you)

I am still fighting (!!) I have toxic people around me that I have no control over ( for now!!). Unfortunately, there is no one with whom I feel true emotional safety - I am very much aware that this is a factor re feeling drained. I try to stay busy!

Some days it works, other days - no luck! But I try. One day who knows?

[hazn]

Originally Posted by profound_betrayal

Agree w/hanz above.

Fatigue is 'multi layered' re causes. water, diet and also 'mind'.
The quotation below, meant so much to me when I didn't understand why I had NO energy - I slept, but woke up without energy.

Sleep doesn’t help if it’s your soul that’s tired (from truth inside of you)

I am still fighting (!!) I have toxic people around me that I have no control over ( for now!!). Unfortunately, there is no one with whom I feel true emotional safety - I am very much aware that this is a factor re feeling drained. I try to stay busy!

Some days it works, other days - no luck! But I try. One day who knows?

Having toxic people around you certainly makes it that much more difficult. The only way to cope in my experience seems to be to either remove them from your life entirely, or limit contact with them to the bare minimum. I used to think I could just learn to live with such people and not let them bring me down, but I learnt that doesn't always work (and it takes too much energy). Setting strong boundaries with yourself and with the toxic person helps a lot.